Russia says Ukraine received warning 15 minutes before plane crash

A Russian lawmaker said Ukrainian military intelligence received a warning 15 minutes before a Russian military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war entered the airspace where it was shot down on Wednesday.

Moscow accuses Kiev of shooting down the plane in the Russian region of Belgorod, killing 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian soldiers who were to be released in exchange for Russian soldiers.

Russia's Investigative Committee said on Thursday that the plane was hit by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile.

Ukraine denied having received a warning. He neither confirmed nor denied that his forces shot down the plane, but disputed details of Moscow's investigation and called for an international investigation.

“The Ukrainian side was officially warned, and 15 minutes before the plane entered the zone, they received full information,” said Andrei Kartopolov, a former Russian general. He said Ukraine's military command confirmed receipt of the notice.

His statement contradicts statements by Ukrainian military intelligence that Russia had not reported on the flight.

Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said that, contrary to previous practice, Kiev had not received any requests from Russia to refrain from strikes in the airspace where the plane was shot down.

“No evidence was provided for the accusations… Nothing was shown to prove the wreckage and the presence of people on board,” he said on national television.

Conflicting narratives from both sides are a daily feature of a war that nears the end of its second year. In this case, the stakes are especially high as it is the deadliest incident of its kind on Russian territory recognized internationally since the February 2022 invasion of Russia.